On Monday, the US Embassy in Bishkek put out a press release saying that "The Transit Center at Manas has resumed normal operations. Refueling operations continue as usual and the transit of troops has resumed."

However, Reuters now <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63B51U20100412?feedType=RSS&feedName=topNews">reports</a>:

But an official at the U.S. military's Central Command said Manas would not be used as a hub for sending troops into Afghanistan in the near term, and that passenger traffic will instead head through alternate routes.

The official said there were hundreds of military personnel at Manas awaiting flights to return to the United States.

The official added the decision to re-route passenger traffic was made to "enable us to support any humanitarian assistance or logistical efforts (as) necessary while minimizing the potential for delays to our personnel."

Past decisions to restrict such flights have been attributed to security concerns.

Given that in March the base <a href="http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=58616">set a record</a> with 50,000 troops passing through, this seems like a big deal. I'm guessing there is more to this story than we know now...